"The first step you need to take in order to end up with a beautiful picture in your viewfinder is to be aware of the ugly things, those things that destroy so many rookie's pictures."
by John Garret, The Keep It Simple Series Guide to Photography
Some accuse me of being too detail-oriented. It isn't uncommon for me to notice a paper clip on the floor behind a subject I am photographing. Quite often my subject's parents are enlisted to pick up a large stick off the ground or move some other distracting item out of the image I'm framing. With practice, I've learned to not just see the beautiful little girl who is my subject, but to look for those things that might distract from her beauty and that of the final image.
After many rookie mistakes I've learned to look at every little detail that will end up in the image I'm about to capture. This is a crucial aspect of framing your image. After all, who wants a portrait of a bride and groom with the keyboard player setting up his equipment in the background? Sure, the musician could be photoshopped out later, but isn't it easier to ask him to wait a couple minutes until you get the shot you need? Time is money as they say, so personally I'd rather get it right the first time. And, since I charge for retouches, I'm sure my clients appreciate my keen eye as well.
Take a look at the following images. Each contains a distracting element that takes away from the success of the image.
In this first image there are actually two problems. First, this fine, young, athletic dude, has a lamp-post growing out of his head. Not quite the look I was after. Second, take a look at the upper third of this image. It is predominantly white. They eye is attracted to this brighter, white space - which takes attention away from the subject. Both could have been avoided by framing the shot differently.
This image also has two problems. The first being the red color-cast her dance hat and costume casts on her skin. Unfortunately, this is difficult to photoshop out. The second problem is the boulder in the background that seems to cut her head in half visually. Both are major distractions that take away from the success of the image.
The mistake in this image is even more obvious than the lamp post growing out of the skater's head. The fence wires block the view of the goat's eyes. Darn that goat! He moved right at the wrong time. This could have been a dynamic image, but it suffers terribly due to the distraction the fence provides.
Some distractions, like the fence with the goat, are really hard to avoid. Even the best of photographers can't anticipate every single move an animal is going to make. Others like the boulder and the lamp post are more easily avoided with practice. So, how do you develop an eye for these tiny little details that can end up ruining your shot? My professor, Terry Weir, gave us the perfect exercise which really drove the point home. Take a look at the image below.
Our assignment was to cut a hole the size of our view finder into a piece of black card stock. We were to look through this hole before we framed our pictures. The hole helped us see the world through our camera's view-finder's perspective - which helped us learn how to see the way our camera sees. By paying attention to everything within that view, we learned how to pick up on all the little details that would be included when framing our image.
Try it for yourself:
Cut a 1" by 1" hole in a piece of black card-stock (so it isn't flimsy). Do not take an image before checking the scene through your mock view-finder first. Pay attention to every detail that you see. Is there a person walking in the distance behind your subject? Is there a fuzzy on your client's sweater? Is there a sock on the floor in the distance? Is there a tree growing out of your client's head? Is there an unusually dark or bright spot in your frame that might compete with your subject for the viewer's attention?
Train your eye to look for these things. It will take your photography from rookie to fabulous in no time flat.
No comments:
Post a Comment